


Who He Became

by sabbig



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-16
Updated: 2016-02-16
Packaged: 2018-05-21 00:10:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6030945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sabbig/pseuds/sabbig
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danse never thought he'd have the right words, and Amy knew the person her son would turn into.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Who He Became

“I broke my arm and shoulder in a car accident once.”

Danse looked around at the rusted shells littering the cracked roadway they walked.

“You rode in one of those?”

“Drove them. I had one. Almost everyone did. At least everyone I knew. ” She stopped and hovered a heavily armored hand over the hood over the body of a long, low, machine that was canted long ways across the yellow line down the road. “I wrecked it, bad.” She shook her head. “I thought my mom was going to disown me in the hospital.”

Danse was reminded of Haylen, and how suddenly after something horrible had happened, she suddenly started talking. He followed behind her just a few steps and committed himself to listening. He wasn’t sure if he would ever quite know what to say, but he could listen and be there.

“I don’t think I ever really rebelled on purpose, but I was a dumb kid who took too long to realize that actions have consequences.” She dropped her hands to her side with a dull clang. “I wasn’t hurt badly, considering, but I was still in the hospital for days.” She turned and smiled thinly at him. “I’ll show you the scars some time if you want.”

He considered responding, but decided against it. In a terrifying thought, he wondered where her scars were.

“You know they used to make you take the healing stims over several weeks? My arm was healed in about three weeks, my shoulder in two months.” There was a tension he could read even below the power armor in how she shifted her arms. “After that, I took the bus a lot while I was in school, and I pretty much only took the metro once I got my degree and was practicing law.”

“Anyways.” She turned and faced him, reached out a hand. “I think what I want to tell you is that I learned… there’s not always a happy ending.” He realized that she was waiting for him to take her hand, and shake. He reached out, his ears oddly irritated by the rattle and thud of their power gloves grasping. He was concerned still when her eyes didn’t meet his. “Thanks for going with me for… that.” She started walking back down the road towards Cambridge. “I think I’m ready to do whatever the Brotherhood needs.”

This he had to question.

“What about your son?”

When she finally answered, Danse was concerned that she hadn’t heard him, because she kept walking with her head turned adamantly forward.

“I think he’s long gone from me.”

 

 

 

* * *

 

He was there when she finally spoke to her son—when she disowned him. It was raining on top of the ruins of CIT, and after he disappeared in a flash of blue, she didn’t move for a long time. Shen she did, she only tilted her head up towards the dark grey sky.

“Is he really my son?” She asked. Her voice was filtered and processed through the speakers of her helmet and his.

He walked to stand next to her, unsure of the less than solid rooftop, but suddenly, unbelievably, sure of what to say.

“Do you really think I’m human?” He asked. He knew her answer, because they’d fought over it for weeks now.

“Yes!” She nearly shouted. “Yes! Dammit, Danse. The things you feel and think are what make you what you are. I don’t care what kind of body you walk around in. The choices that you make, make you who you are, they make you human. You…” She stopped with a gasp, and he watched her helmet tilt down. Her knees bent, crouching, even in her power armor, and her gauntleted fists came up over her head.

“Then what makes you think that he’s your son?” He asked.

She didn’t move for a moment, but then tilted her head up to look at him from where she crouched.

“What did you say?” He could hear danger for him in her voice, but she said it herself.

“You said that what you think and feel make you what you are. Right?”

“Yeah, but what are you—“ She stood and turned to face him.

“That the choices you make, make you who you are?”

“Yes! Danse, what are you talking about?” She was yelling, now.

“Not the body you walk around in?”

“Yes!”

“Did he ever chose to be your son?” He waited for another heated response from her, but she didn’t move. At least not that he could see through her armor. He kept going.

“Did he ever chose to be someone you would have wanted? Did you teach him to be the person that he became?”

“No.” From the hitch in her voice, he was sure she was crying inside of her helmet.

“Is he… Is he really your son?” He asked. The sob came out oddly modulated from her helmet speakers.

“No.” She reached out and grabbed the handles on the front of his armor and pulled them together, pushed her helmet against his. “No he’s not.”

Danse put his hands on the back of her helmet. It was odd, when they were both kitted up like this, not only was she as tall as him, but he couldn’t smell the smell of _her_ that he’d gotten so used to over the last three weeks. He couldn’t feel the tension in her muscles like he usually could, feel the grooves and smooth skin of her scars.  

“Can we… Can we just go home for a while?”

“Yeah.” He gave her a thump on the shoulder. “Which one?”

“Your bunker? I want to be alone for a little while.”

“Absolutely.”

There was a strange feeling inside of him. Even after all they’d discussed and done together, he still had this uncertainty, a resolute disbelief in what she said… But just now, she’d called _his_ place home?

Despite it all, he was certain there was a smile on his face as they jumped off the roof together and jogged towards _home._

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first thing I have ready to post between my Sole Survior, Amy, and Paladin Danse. There will be more to come between these two.


End file.
